The C-Student
by Venea Taur
Summary: Frustrated over his unwilling involvement in Croft stealing the EmDrive and the lack of any real truths about Darius, Liam asks Darius what he did that made Croft that hate him so much to set him up as a traitor. When Darius is less than enthused to answer, Harris helps. Tag to episode 6, "Chip Off the Ol' Block"


A/N: I do things other than write Salvation stories, I promise. (There's another one I posted in the crossover section that is more amusing than this one) But this one wouldn't leave me. I was re-watching the series and it struck me, Croft was really terrible in setting up Darius. He had to know what was likely to happen. So, why did he hate him so much? This also fills out some of the backstory with Harris and Darius, which I worry we'll never get. So, there's a good deal that is speculation but informed speculation.

This picks up near the end of episode 6, "Chip off the Ol' Block", where Darius has just attempted to apologize to Liam.

Please read, relax, and enjoy.

* * *

The C-Student

"What did Croft have against you," Liam asked as Darius was nearly out the door of his room. He wasn't sure about the advice Darius had given him or the poorly attempted apology, but he wanted to know how he'd gotten caught up in whatever Darius had done to Croft.

"What?" Darius stopped just short of the doorway.

"Croft must've really hated you to set you up as a traitor. What'd he have against you? What'd you do to him?"

"Old history," Darius said, dismissively. He'd done enough baring his soul over the last 24 hours.

"I think I have some right to know."

"Perhaps." Darius turned slightly, looking at Liam from the corner of his eyes.

"Perhaps? It's because of whatever happened that I was abducted and had to shoot him. And then lost Jillian. I think more than perhaps." Liam was exasperated and on the verge of losing the little control over his anger that he had. Darius was a great employer, but a frustrating person to work with. Whereas he knew everything about everyone, no one knew anything about him beyond what the eyes could see and Liam was sure even that was just a front most of the time. After everything he'd dealt with, the loyalty he'd shown, what he'd lost because of this man, he deserved one truth.

"Croft was a bitter man, an angry man," Darius said.

"But he knew you and you knew him. I saw you recognize the name back at the hotel and he knew all about you when I found him and brought him here."

"Yes, we knew each other." Darius was leaning against a wall, opposite of Liam, arms crossed against his chest.

"He was your advisor at MIT, wasn't he," a third, familiar voice said. Liam and Darius looked over to see Harris in the doorway. "At least that's what you told me." Harris took a few steps into the room when neither man objected to his presence. He saw Darius pause, heard his breath hitch in the beginning of panic, but quickly Darius regained control. He held back a frown at the reaction, noting that Darius looked welcoming of his presence.

"What are you doing here," Darius asked. While a part of him still associated Harris with torture, he was fighting to control that, especially in front of Liam. Truthfully, he was glad to see Harris as he wanted to move the conversation away from Croft, as much as he sympathized with Liam's desire to know their history.

"I came to see how you're doing. Both of you. TESS said you were both here."

"Croft was your advisor?" Liam ignored Darius' attempt to sway the conversation. Darius sighed, resigning himself to having this conversation.

"He was just starting out. He'd been teaching for a few years but was eyeing early tenure. I was one of his first advisees. He'd seen me in one of his classes and thought that with him as my advisor, he'd be able to make a name for himself. He thought taking me on and turning me into a success would get him tenure easily, not to mention a lot of respect."

"What happened?"

Darius hesitated a moment, glancing at Harris, before responding.

"I wasn't the success he wanted."

"He said you were a C-student. I don't understand. How can you have all of this if you barely got through MIT." Liam gestured to indicate not the room, but Tanz Industries.

"No one succeeds on their first attempt at innovation, Liam."

"I don't understand."

"Failure isn't rewarded with an A," Darius tried again.

"What Darius is badly explaining, Liam, is that most of what he tried to do at MIT was to innovate, but most of his projects failed miserably. C's were the best the professors could or would give," Harris said. Darius was steadfastly not looking at either of them, instead staring at a spot on the floor. Harris had only gotten all of this out of Darius after the man got drunk one night following a conversation with Croft. Darius' time at MIT had been filled with disappointment from both his uncle and Croft, as well as several meetings with the Dean about his grades and inability to follow the rules. From what Harris understood, Darius was more than pleased to graduate and move as far from MIT as possible.

"Why didn't you just do what would get you the grade," Liam asked.

"What's the fun in that," Darius said after a pause. He looked at Liam. "What's the point of creating, of innovating if we know for certain that it's going to work. Failures teach us far more than successes. You never learn if you always succeed."

"Croft said something like that."

"That was always my excuse to him for my failures. My mother told me that, every time one of my experiments failed and I was ready to give up," Darius said fondly.

"So, this thing with Croft is because you weren't the success he wanted," Liam said.

"Not quite," Darius said.

"You also botched that NASA internship he got you up pretty well," Harris said.

"Thanks," Darius said wryly, giving Harris a look.

"NASA?" Liam looked between the two men.

"I was trying to go it on my own, without help from my uncle and convinced Croft to give me one more chance. He had some friends at NASA and helped me to get an internship there. Unfortunately, they weren't appreciative of my innovation either."

"That, and you couldn't keep your mouth shut when you needed to," Harris said.

"True. There were many threats to duct tape my mouth shut and reminders that I was an intern, nothing more."

"Is that how the two of you met," Liam asked.

"Sort of," Harris said.

"We were working on the same project, but never crossed paths until my last day there," Darius added.

"I believe you were fired during that meeting for telling a 2-star general his idea was insane."

Darius chuckled at the memory.

"Not quite that nicely, however. He didn't take too kindly to it and demanded that I be reprimanded. My boss did one better and fired me on the spot."

"So how?" Liam was trying to connect the dots, growing impatient as these two men dawdled down memory lane.

"I found him that night at a dive bar, so drunk he couldn't put one and one together," Harris said. "I felt bad for him. What he did took guts. The general was wrong and we all knew it. Unfortunately, it wasn't until after the project failed that they realized Darius was right." Harris paused. "So, that night I took him back to my place, so he could sleep off the hangover. He was a scrawny 23-year-old at the time. No beard, a mess of curly hair. He looked more like the teenager next door than some tech genius," Harris said.

Liam looked at Darius for confirmation. The man in question simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Croft abandoned me after that," Darius added. "I had nowhere to go and wasn't ready to go back to my uncle with my tail between my legs."

"What'd you do, then," Liam asked.

"He stayed with me for a while, working odd jobs to get some money. But then his uncle found out what had happened and where he was."

"And it was all downhill after that," Darius said.

"How? You have everything anyone could want," Liam said.

"There's more to life than material possessions," Darius answered.

"What happened?" There was another story there, Liam knew it.

"That's a story for another time," Darius said, standing. "I have some things to take care of." He turned to Harris. "Stop by before you leave?"

"Sure." Harris nodded, watching the younger man leave.

"So, Croft did all of this because Darius messed up his chances at being a big name," Liam asked.

"Croft was smart," Harris said, stepping further into the room. "But not as smart as Darius. I met the man once, when he came down to check in on the project Darius had been working on. He was always an angry, bitter man. Darius had everything Croft wanted. The intelligence, risk-taking, forward-thinking, charm. Darius was built for this lifestyle, for being a pioneer. Croft could do the work, but he wasn't the innovator that Darius is, nor you are."

"He kept saying things about Darius and I believed him. I mean, I think about it now and I can see what he was doing."

"Croft liked to try to manipulate people, but he couldn't with Darius. He was too strong-willed. There's nothing holding Darius back, but Croft thought he could get you. You're a lot like him, Liam. Like Darius."

"I fell for it. I called him a prick. More than once."

"Well, he is sometimes," Harris said with a smile. "Darius is a great man, but his determination often gets in the way, turns people off."

"Tell me about it. He tried apologizing tonight about bringing Jillian here, but I don't think he knows what an apology is. He called it an acknowledgment."

"That's the closest you'll get for now. I don't know the details and I'm not going to betray his trust, but I know him well enough to know that he thought he was doing the right thing. That's not to say that I support his actions. But I know that he doesn't want you to have to give up the love of your life because you're working here. He's just a little inexperienced in the ways of love."

"Darius Tanz, inexperienced in the ways of love?" Liam's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"There are many layers to Darius. The longer you know him, the more those come off, if he trusts you."

"So, this was a sign of trust?"

"A lot of trust. He doesn't make his failures public knowledge. It's not because he's afraid of them or ashamed. He never knows what people will do with that knowledge. Trust is among his most valued commodities and it, unlike so many other things, can't be bought or sold with him."

"I'm not sure if this all makes me feel better about Croft."

"Liam, you were a pawn in a larger game than you knew about. None of it was your fault."

"Was it Darius'? Am I on the wrong side here?"

"No. Whatever Darius has going on, and I know there's more than this EmDrive, but I know him enough to not ask, he's trying to save the world. And he needs you to do that."

"Because I know how to build the EmDrive?"

"Not just that. I wasn't kidding when I said you are a lot like him. Not the side he presents to the public, but underneath that mask. The Darius that I met years ago. Idealistic, passionate, intelligent, and human. You help to bring the humanity back out in him. Both you and Grace do," Harris said with a sigh. "It's a welcome change to see him like this, even though, lately, it puts us at odds more times than not."

"I… I didn't think…"

"He's not the simple man he presents. If you stick around long enough, you'll find that out."

"So, what do I do?"

"Listen to him about Jillian. Don't give up on her, but give her time."

"How long were you out there?"

"I didn't hear anything. I gave him that same advice years ago but he chose not to listen. He doesn't want you to be like him, Liam. Learn from his mistakes and be better."

"Better than Darius Tanz?"

"It's a tall order, but he's seen the potential in you. He doesn't mentor, not after his experience. He gives advice and lectures, but he doesn't mentor. You're different."

"Okay," Liam said, hesitantly.

"For now, though, just live your life. Do what you can to save the world, but don't lose yourself," Harris added, seeing the concern on Liam's face.

"I can do that."

"Good. Remember, you can always come talk to me."

"Okay." Liam nodded.

"Better now?"

"I think so. It'll just take time."

"That's normal, expected." Harris sighed. "I should probably go talk with Darius now. He's had a rough week as well." Harris turned to leave.

"Wait, what happened to Darius," Liam called out after a moment's pause, but Harris was already out the door.

"Ask him," Harris called back.

* * *

I can go on for a while about how I view Harris and Darius, but the sum is they are friends and once upon a time were very close friends, but their career choices and personalities have driven them apparent and often mean they butt heads on things. I've written some about it on tumblr (using this same penname but without the underscore).


End file.
